MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility overrun by feral cats; Staff takes action

WOODBURN Ore. (KPTV) – The feral cat population at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn is something that’s hard not to notice.

“We’ve just had cats that roam our property since I started in 2016,” said Troy Britting, the Program Director. “I think we’ve had some funny things, like the cats do live under buildings…we’ve all had a meeting disrupted by a cat a time or two.”

Bri McDonald started as a Maintenance Specialist at the site in February, and she said it took her only a few days to get concerned about what she saw.

“People were like ‘yeah, they’re just here,’” she said. “They’re all feral cats, and no one’s tending to them in any way…I was getting work orders like, ‘there’s a cat in the ceiling,’ ‘there’s a cat under my floor where my desk is sitting and there’s multiple of them and they’re fighting.’”

McDonald showed FOX 12 around the facility to multiple sites where she’s discovered cats hiding out. One spot was underneath a garden shed, and one was next to the HVAC system outside one of the buildings.

She decided to take matters into her own hands, carefully mapping and strategizing how to trap the adult cats in order to get them spayed and neutered, and then return them to the facility to prevent overpopulation and spread of disease.

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She was able to borrow some humane cat traps, and it didn’t take long for things to take off.

“We trapped 15 cats that first round, got them all spayed and neutered, made another appointment, did it again a couple months later,” McDonald said. “We’re still finding a litter per week, so there’s obviously more to be done.”

Local nonprofits have stepped in to help with the kittens.

“Oregon Humane Society was contacted about this situation and asked to take in some cats and kittens and medically more fragile kittens who needed help,” said Laura Klink, the Public Information Officer with the Oregon Humane Society.

“We’ve taken in two litters with their feral moms,” said Caroline Joyner, the Communications Director with Meow Village. “In order to end the cycle of breeding, you take in those kittens, you spay and neuter them and then you adopt them out to homes.”

Staff with Project Pooch, a nonprofit that connects the inmates with dogs, joined the effort as well- initially used as a drop-off zone for the kittens found on campus.

“To date, we’ve pulled 75 cats and kittens from campus, 22 adult cats have been spayed neutered and brought back to campus, and the rest of those have been kittens that have been doled out to various rescues,” said Sarah Bradham, the Executive Director with Project Pooch. “I think there have been six different rescues, have all come together to help these 75 cats and kittens.”

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Meow Village, Oregon Humane Society, Salem Friends of Felines, Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, Tiny Tim’s Tiny Foster Family, and Neonatal Kitten Rescue of the PNW have all either contributed to the spaying/neutering process or adoption process.

Staff members hope for a future where some of the youth can help with the program, and the cats can enjoy the luxury of a safe home inside the gates- within reason.

“We develop a really healthy feral cat colony here and show others that feral cat colonies can be healthy,” Bradham said.

“This whole place is secured so you don’t have to look out for coyotes or whatever coming after you, there’s tons of food, there’s dumpsters everywhere,” McDonald said. “Who wouldn’t want to be here if you’re a cat?”

If you’re interested in adopting any of the kittens found at the Maclaren Facility, they’re available for adoption through the Meow Village organization. They also accept donations and applications for cat foster homes.

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